


Lay It All On Me

by tabula_rasa



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Ben is the abuser, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eventual Poe Dameron/Finn/Rey, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Physical Abuse, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2020-02-27 11:14:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18737899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabula_rasa/pseuds/tabula_rasa
Summary: Rey's relationship with Ben takes an unexpected turn after stress gets the better of him.Enter new neighbor Poe, who sees through Rey's facade of a happy relationship.





	1. 26

**Author's Note:**

> I suck at summary's, so if you're here: Welcome! (summary also subject to change if I think of something better)
> 
> I really do enjoy Reylo, but I've just realllllly been appreciating Oscar Isaac lately, and am totally not against the Poe/Rey ship and therefor was inspired to start this story!
> 
> So, let's see where this goes!

_Reality will break your heart_  
_Survival will not be the hardest part_  
_It's keeping all your hopes alive_  
_All the rest of you has died_  
_So let it break your heart_  


**26** , Paramore

* * *

The first time Ben hit her, Rey thought back to the day she had finally gotten the courage to ask him out.

That had been almost four years ago, as Ben was starting law school and she was starting at a new job that would finally give her enough money to start a life that felt entirely her own. She’d known Ben for several years while they went to college together, eventually becoming friends, and much later than everyone anticipated, Rey asked him out.

She could still see the look of surprise on his face, followed by a slow smile that always managed to melt her heart.

His face now, was surprised, followed quickly by watery eyes and a grimace of pain, as if he had been the one who’d just gotten slapped in the face. Ben turned away from her, shoulders slouched as he ran a hand through his hair.

They had fought plenty in the past. She was stubborn and he had always been full of anger. But that anger seemed to dissipate when Rey came into the picture. She had always been willing to see the good in him despite the stories she had heard when they were in college together.

And she tried in that moment to remember all the good that there was in him, as she clutched her cheek, shock keeping the tears at bay as she watched Ben’s shoulders start to shake.

She had sensed his self-control chipping away slowly ever since he started working for a high power law firm six months ago. It was all early mornings and late nights and the hardest work he’d ever had to do. It was a lot of time away from Rey and her light and more time in a fluorescent-lit box with no windows. The stress had finally gotten to him and Rey knew that.

They hadn’t had a date night in a while and Rey knew that his job was important to Ben, that he had a lot on his plate, that once he’d secured a more permanent spot at the law firm and proved himself there he’d have more time for her. That they’d be comfortable and happy and Rey could have anything she wanted. He reminded her of this every day, half mumbled promises pressed against her ear as they lay together in bed at night.

But all Rey really wanted was Ben.

So she’d asked about going out the next night, Saturday night, thinking Ben must have put in enough hours by now to take an evening off. To relax, to breathe, to get back to them.

And as usual he had insisted he had too much paperwork to go through over the weekend and maybe they could go next weekend. Excuses and maybes weren’t good enough though. They were all Rey had known for six fucking months and suddenly anger had sparked in her and she had said things she shouldn’t have.

It really shouldn’t have come as a shock to her when Ben’s hand slapped the words out of her mouth. 

She had pushed him too far.

She knew he was stressed.

She knew his job was important to him, to them, to their future.

So she wrapped her arms around his middle and pressed her face into his back as he shook with suppressed sobs, the throbbing in her cheek forgotten.


	2. Sweet Nothing

_It isn't easy for me to let it go_  
_'Cause I swallow every single word_  
_And every whisper, every sigh_  
_Eats away this heart of mine_  
_And there is a hollow in me now_

**Sweet Nothing** , Calvin Harris feat. Florence Welch

* * *

There was a large vase full of roses on the kitchen counter the next morning when Rey finally got herself out of bed. Ben was already gone to work, probably had been gone for several hours already. But he had somehow found the time to get her these roses so they’d be waiting for her when she woke up.

She plucked the little card from the deep red flowers, seeing Ben’s familiar cramped handwriting: _I love you, B._

Rey smiled at it before burying her nose in the roses and breathing in their scent. She pulled back, exhaling audibly and placing the small card on the counter next to the vase.

She headed to the cabinets to get a bowl of cereal, hoping she could just enjoy the flowers and not think about why they were there. She thought back over her and Ben’s relationship, trying to remember if there had ever been a time where Ben had bought her flowers before, but she was coming up blank.

They had never been into those cheesy relationship traditions. Gifts were always practical. Rey often insisted on paying for dinner, and was always gleeful when she was able to beat Ben to the bill. Though sometimes she would pretend to fumble for it so that Ben could treat her. She knew he liked to.

Flowers though… those had never been something she wanted and Ben knew that. But here they were, at least a dozen roses staring her in the face. 

Any other time she might have enjoyed them. She set her half eaten bowl of Cheerios on the counter next to them. No matter how much she tried not to think about it, she would still know that these roses were here because Ben had hit her. They were meant to be an apology, but all she saw was a reminder. They wouldn’t last long, would begin to wilt and turn brown and not look so pretty.

Suddenly she was angry and before Rey could even consider what she was doing, she was pushing the vase off the counter.

The vase hit the floor and shattered into many tiny pieces. Water spread out over the floor and petals scattered among the glass, the roses falling apart easily when they’d hit the floor. She stared down at the mess she had made, breathing heavily. It had felt good.

It didn’t take long for dread to fill the pit of her stomach. What would Ben do if he saw what she’d done? Would he hit her again? 

She turned and rushed to the kitchen sink just in time to throw up what cereal she had managed to eat. She turned back to the mess and knew she’d have to clean it up before Ben came home.

* * *

Rey had carefully picked up the larger pieces of broken vase and the roses, swept up the rest placing all the broken pieces carefully into a trash bag. She swept up the rest and mopped up the water before sweeping one more time to make sure she’d gotten everything.

She brought the bag to her apartment buildings trash chute on the floor below hers, the second floor, and was returning to her floor when she ran into someone coming up the stairs with a large box.

“Could you get the door for me please?” the man asked her.

“Yeah no problem,” Rey said. She held the door open for him and he walked by. She went through the door as well, watching as he set his box down next to the door of the apartment next to her and Ben’s own apartment.

He turned to smile at her, and Rey took in the tan skin and dark curly hair and couldn’t help but notice that he was handsome. He was definitely a bit older than her and Ben, some gray hairs mixed in with the black.

“Thanks” he said. “My hands were a little full. I had friends that were supposed to come help me but they appear to be running late.”

“You’re welcome,” Rey said, also smiling. “And welcome to the building.”

She pointed at her own door before adding, “I actually live right there so I guess we’ll be neighbors.”

“Well you seem like a friendly neighbor, so I think that should work out just fine,” the man responded with a laugh. “I’m Poe by the way.”

“Rey,” she said, walking by him a little toward her own door. “It was nice to meet you. If you need anything, I’m right next door.”

“Thanks, Rey,” Poe said, pulling out the keys to his apartment. “I’ll remember that.”

She turned and headed to her apartment now, but paused at the door just as she heard Poe open his own door.

“Poe,” she said. He turned to her right as he picked up his box. “Would you want some help moving in? At least until your friends show up?”

“That would be great actually,” he said, smiling. “You don’t mind?”

“Not at all,” she said. “I don’t have much going on today anyway.”

* * *

Poe’s friends showed up about twenty minutes after Rey offered to help him move in, but after meeting Finn and Rose, Rey decided to stay and help. She’d never had many friends, at least none she really kept in touch with anymore, and she felt that she belonged with these people even though she hadn’t known them for long.

They moved boxes and furniture and with the four of them working together, they had about half of Poe’s things moved into the apartment by lunchtime. They were standing outside of Poe’s apartment trying to decide if they wanted to order pizza or Chinese for lunch when Ben suddenly appeared through the door at the end of the hallway.

Rey was laughing at something Finn had said when she noticed him and she smiled at him.

“You’re home early!” she exclaimed. Her smiled faded slightly when she saw the way Ben was surveying the group of them, but he smiled back as he finally approached.

“I thought I’d surprise you,” he said, wrapping an arm around her waist once he was close enough and placing a kiss to her temple. She wrapped her arms around him and looked up at him. He turned his gaze back to the others. “So who’s the new neighbor?”

“That would be me,” Poe said, extending a hand to Ben. “Poe Dameron.”

“Ben Solo,” Ben said, shaking Poe’s hand.

“And this is Finn and Rose,” Rey added. “They’re friends of Poe’s.”

“Nice to meet you,” Ben said, nodding his head. “I hope you don’t mind, but I came to steal Rey away for lunch.”

“Not at all,” Poe said. “Thanks so much for helping.”

“No problem,” Rey said. Ben’s arm tightened around her imperceptibly. “I’ll see you around.”

“It was nice meeting you Rey,” Finn said. “You too Ben.”

“You two should come out to dinner with Finn and me sometime,” Rose added and Rey smiled at the idea.

Ben was leading her away from the group before she could respond to any of them.

“See you later!” she called down the hallway.

“Did you get the flowers?” Ben asked when they reached the street. He no longer had her arm around her and they were walking down the sidewalk next to each other.

“Yes,” she said. “Thank you. But I should warn you I was an absolute klutz this morning and knocked the whole vase on the floor. I had to throw them out.”

He reached for her hand and brought it up to his lips to kiss the back of her hand.

“That’s okay,” Ben said. “We’ll get you some new ones after lunch.”

Rey suddenly wasn’t hungry anymore.


	3. Treacherous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. Did I forget to mention that I'm terrible at updating?
> 
> I'm gonna try and not take so long with the next chapter and actually have more happen so yeah. Enjoy, I guess!

_Put your lips close to mine_   
_As long as they don't touch_   
_Out of focus, eye to eye_   
_Till the gravity's too much_   
_And I'll do anything you say_   
_If you say it with your hands_   
_And I'd be smart to walk away,_   
_But you're quicksand_

**Treacherous** , Taylor Swift

* * *

After lunch, Ben brought Rey to a small flower shop nearby and let her pick out a fresh bouquet of flowers. She picked a cheap bouquet of daisies, and Ben frowned at her.

“I can get you another bouquet of roses,” he said. 

“I really like these,” Rey replied, knowing it’d be easier for her to have these around than the roses. “You know I’m not much of a flower person.”

“Alright,” he responded, still not seeming sure. Rey smiled at him and he went to pay for the flowers.

They walked back to the apartment quietly, Ben checking his cell phone frequently and Rey knew he’d have to hurry back to work as soon as they got back. They stopped in front of the building and Ben pulled her in, kissing her quickly.

“I have to head back to work,” he said, unsurprisingly. “Hux will have my head if I’m gone for too long.”

“Do you have to work late tonight?” 

“I’m not sure yet,” he answered. “I don’t think I’ll be home for dinner, but I’ll try and make it back before you’re asleep.”

“Alright.”

“I love you, Rey.”

“I love you too.”

He kissed her again before hailing a cab.

* * *

After she had the daisies set up in a new vase, placed on their kitchen table, Rey went and took a shower. Though she had cooled off from helping her new neighbor move in from earlier, she still felt gross.

Poe had seemed nice. Finn and Rose had also been super sweet. She couldn’t help but think that maybe she had found some new friends. After college everyone went their separate directions, moving to different states and drifting slowly apart. There were still occasional texts or phone calls, but it wasn’t anything significant.

After graduation, Rey had thrown herself into a job at a popular art gallery, hoping to get a foot in the door to hopefully one day showcase her own artwork there. Between that and her relationship with Ben, she hadn’t given herself time for much else.

But now things were different and with Ben working crazy hours at the law firm, she found her evenings and weekends utterly uneventful and lonely. She worked the occasional weekend at the art gallery if they needed her. She tried to find inspiration to paint, but more often than not she sat in front of a blank canvas and couldn’t bring herself to even touch the paintbrush to it. Now she didn’t even bother picking out paint colors.

* * *

Rey was in bed, but awake, when Ben came home.

She heard him set his briefcase down by the door like he usually did before heading to the bathroom. She heard the rustle of clothes and then the shower starting.

She must have drifted off slightly, as suddenly she was fully awake as she felt Ben get into bed behind her. She turned toward him sleepily and was surprised to find him fully undressed. She found his eyes in the dark before he kissed her, arm going around her and under the tank top she was sleeping in as he pulled her closer.

His tongue delved into her mouth, the lingering taste of mint toothpaste evident. He drew her tank top off before reaching for her underwear, pushing it down as far as he could before she helped remove them the rest of the way.

Ben rolled her onto her back swiftly then, burying himself in her easily and without hesitation. Rey gasped at suddenly feeling so full, wrapping her legs around his hips to keep him still for a moment.

She shuddered as he started to move. His face was buried in her neck as he pressed his weight into her. 

She loved it when they were like this, when Ben surrounded her entirely. All she saw was him, all she felt was him, all she knew was him. 

Her arms were around him, fingernails digging into his back as she reached her end, whimpering against his shoulder.

* * *

A little while later, Ben’s breathing had slowed and Rey knew he was asleep. Sleep was evading her as she stared up at the ceiling, though.

She couldn’t stop thinking about those roses. The vase shattered on the floor, mangled roses and water and petals mixed together.

She got out of bed suddenly, going to Ben’s side of the dresser and pulling out one of his t-shirts and pulling it on over her head. She went to the small room in their apartment that Ben had let her turn into a studio and turned on a lamp that cast a dim yellow glow rather than the glaringly bright overhead light.

She went through her paints, picking out the colors she needed before setting herself in front of the blank canvas she had set up weeks ago. For the first time in too long she painted. And not the kind of painting she had done lately where she forced herself to do so. No, this time she felt inspired and the paintbrush flew across the canvas. 

She only stopped when she realized the sky outside had started to lighten and she realized that she was suddenly exhausted. 

She went back to bed, moving quietly and slowly so as not to wake Ben. She got carefully into bed and moved next to Ben who turned suddenly in his sleep and threw an arm around her, pulling her into him.

“You smell like paint,” he mumbled.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. I like it.”


	4. Room for 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Sorry for the long wait, but here's a nice long chapter for you! I really want to try and write more, so we'll see how that goes...

_Up and down,_  
_it all comes back around_  
_Push and shove,_  
_do you feel better now?_

 **Room for 2** , Dua Lipa

***

As she had hoped when she first met them, it didn’t take long for Rey to become friends with Rose, Finn, and Poe. And for the first time in a while she actually had plans on a Friday night that didn’t involve her eating dinner alone in her empty apartment while Ben worked.

Poe had stopped by around 4 to invite her out to a bar nearby, where he would be meeting Rose and Finn for drinks and Rey had eagerly accepted the invitation.

She had spent the rest of the evening carefully picking out her clothes and getting ready. She honestly couldn’t remember the last time she had been out to the bar, but it would be nice to drink something other than cheap wine that she only ever drank by herself.

As expected, she was ready early. Rey dragged some leftovers out of the fridge to eat and decided to call Ben, hoping that maybe he could take a break for a few minutes to talk to her.

“Everything okay?” Ben asked upon answering his phone after the fourth ring.

“Why hello dear, so nice of you to take the time to call me,” Rey mocked with a laugh as she took a bite of cold noodles. She heard Ben sigh on the other end and she couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Everything’s fine. How are things on your end?”

“Extremely busy as usual,” he answered. She could picture him leaning back in his desk chair, rubbing a hand over his face. He always looked so tired lately.

“I wish you were here,” she said quietly.

“I know, babe,” he answered. “I’ll be home sometime tonight. Have any exciting plans other than pining away for me?”

“Ha ha,” Rey said sarcastically. “As a matter of fact, I do actually have some plans for tonight.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she answered. “You remember Poe? Our new neighbor? He invited me out for drinks with a couple of friends of his that I had met when he moved in. I think you met them all briefly.”

The line was silent and she listened closely, wondering if maybe the line had gone dead.

“Ben?”

“Yeah?”

“Oh, I thought I lost you,” she answered. “Did you hear what I said?”

“Yes,” he said, a slight edge to his voice now. Rey frowned. “Drinks with the neighbor. Where are you going?”

“Just some bar not far from here,” she answered. “I think we’ve been before.”

“Well, I hope you have a good time,” he said after a moment, but Rey wasn’t entirely sure she believed him.

“If you don’t want me to go out with them, I won’t.”

“Why would you think I don’t want you to go out with them?” 

Rey pushed the noodles away from her and sighed.

“You sound mad,” she said.

“I’m not mad,” Ben said. “I just—I don’t know these people, Rey.”

“I’ll be fine,” Rey said. “I need friends, Ben. I’d love nothing more than to just stay in with you, but I’m sorry—you’re not here. It’s lonely.”

It was quiet again on the line but she knew he was still there this time.

“Fine,” he said. “Just be careful. I’ll see you when I get home?”

“Yes, of course,” she answered. “Just shoot me a text when you leave the office in case I’m still out so I can make sure to beat you home.”

“Okay,” Ben said. “I love you, Rey.”

“I love you too.”

\---

Rey had not drunk this much in quite a while. Sure, she could easily polish off a bottle of wine on a good night, but it never hit her quite as hard as whatever fruity drink Rose had talked her into drinking.

Rose had dragged her onto the small dance floor of the bar and they jumped around crazily to whatever music someone had chosen on the juke box while Finn and Poe lingered by the bar, laughing at them. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had this much fun.

But eventually she stumbled back over to the bar, sitting on a stool beside Poe.

“Are you having fun?” he asked loudly, leaning in slightly to be heard over the music. 

“So much fun,” she said, laughing loudly. “Thank you so much for inviting me out!”

“I thought it’d be the neighborly thing to do,” he said, grinning at her. She grinned back. He really was quite handsome. 

She looked around her for a moment, in a bit of a panic.

“Did you see my purse?” 

Poe turned to Finn who seemed to have been put in charge of Rey and Rose’s belongings. He turned back to her holding up a clutch and a small cross body purse. She figured the clutch was Rose’s and grabbed her own bag, digging into it immediately to find her phone.

When she turned it on, her heart sank into her stomach and she thought she might actually get sick from something other than drinking too much.

She had three texts from Ben, and two missed calls. 

_Leaving the office now._

_I’m home._

_Where are you?_

“Everything okay?” Poe asked and Rey looked up to see him watching her with a look of concern.

“Uh, yeah,” she said, sliding off her bar stool. “I just need to step outside and make a call.”

She hurried out of the bar and selected Ben’s number to call the second she was out the door. She listened to it ring, each one filling her with more dread. How could she have been so careless? 

“Rey.”

But the voice wasn’t coming from her still ringing phone. It was coming from directly behind her. She turned around to face Ben and hung up the phone.

“I’m so sorry Ben,” she said. “I’m really so sorry. I had a few too many drinks and Rose—”

“Let’s go,” he cut her off, voice low.

“That’s fine,” she said, turning towards the door to the bar. “Let me just let them know I’m leaving.”

“We’re going now, Rey.”

Suddenly his large hand was wrapped around her upper arm, squeezing tightly as he steered her in the direction of home. 

“Ben,” she protested, trying to pull away from his grip. “They’re going to wonder where I went.”

“I’m sure they’ll figure it out.”

“Can you at least let go of my arm?” she asked. He ignored her, continuing to pull her down the sidewalk. She stumbled slightly but thankfully didn’t fall. “You’re walking too fast, Ben.”

“You’re fucking drunk aren’t you?” he asked. 

“Yes, I’m fucking drunk,” she answered angrily. They reached their apartment building and Ben finally let go of her arm. She rubbed the area, knowing she’d probably have a bruise by morning. 

Ben unlocked the outside door and held it open so she could enter the building first. She glared at him as she walked by him, still rubbing her arm.

“Fuck you,” she spat. She hurried up the stairs ahead of him, hearing the door clatter shut behind him, fear starting to come over her. She didn’t know what was about to happen, but she did know they were both angry and she _was_ drunk. It wasn’t a good combination at all. 

She dug her keys out of her purse and unlocked the door to their apartment, leaving the door open as she went inside, kicking off her shoes. She tossed her purse on the table and turned to face the door just as Ben came in. He slammed the door shut behind him, glaring at her, his fists clenched at his sides.

“Do you even care that I was worried about you?” he finally asked, voice shockingly quiet. It was very deceiving of him, she knew. She knew the anger was there, just under the surface of those words. How she responded would determine how the rest of this night went.

“You had no reason to worry about me,” she answered. “I told you where I was going and who I would be with.”

“That doesn’t mean I don’t worry,” he said. “You’ve been drinking with strangers. You’re drunk. I don’t know these people. I think those are reasons to worry.”

“Well I’m so sorry I didn’t want to sit around here by myself on another Friday night,” Rey responded. “I’m sorry I wanted to make some friends. I’m sorry I didn’t want to be by myself.”

“You know I have a busy work schedule.”

“Yes I know!” she finally yelled. “I know you’re fucking busy! I know it every single day! I spend entire days by myself! I drink by myself, I eat by myself, I sleep by myself until you finally decide to come home and crawl into bed with me.”

“I don’t know what you want from me Rey,” Ben responded, he stepped closer to her, closing the distance between them. “You knew it was going to be like this when we moved in together.”

“No, Ben,” she said. “I did not know it was going to be like _this_. I knew you were going to be busy but I thought you’d at least have some time off once and a while, but honestly it’s like I live alone.”

Ben stepped forward, reaching out for her.

“I’m sorry, Rey,” he said. “I’m really trying here. You have to know that.”

She reached up, gripping the lapel of his suit jacket and staring at his chest.

“I know,” she said. “I’m just so mad right now.”

She pushed him a little away from her. She moved around him and reached for her purse to pull her phone out.

She started tapping out a text to Poe but before she could even get half the message tapped out, Ben was pulling the phone from her hands. She turned around immediately. She had been ready to put this fight to rest, as it was always the same thing every time, but she felt anger surge through her once more.

“What the fuck Ben?”

“Who are you texting?” he asked, staring down at her phone. “You get mad at me for not being here, and then now that I am here you want to talk to someone else.”

“I’m just texting Poe to let him know I’m home,” she said, holding out her hand for her phone. “Since you dragged me away before I could let anyone know.”

“He doesn’t need to know your fucking whereabouts,” Ben snapped.

“Give me my fucking phone!” Rey yelled. She reached for it but Ben held it high over her head and she pushed him in frustration.

“Don’t push me,” he snapped. 

“Give me my phone!” She pushed him again. She didn’t care about the consequences. She was only seeing red. And of course, she was still drunk.

But Ben was livid. He was not one to be pushed around and Rey knew better than anyone that his temper had a short fuse. She pushed him again, clawing at his arm to try and get the phone.

“Calm down, Rey!” Ben yelled. “It’s just a fucking phone!”

“It’s my phone!” she yelled back. “You can’t control every fucking aspect of my life!”

Suddenly Ben shoved her hard, and she stumbled back, falling hard on her back, her head hitting the hard floor. She heard a smash and turned her head to see the remnants of her cell phone scattered on the floor.

He’d actually thrown her phone across the room, smashing it on the far wall of the kitchen. It was silent for a moment as she took in what had just happened. All she could hear was Ben’s heavy breathing. 

She sat up slowly and looked at Ben who was leaning against the wall closest to her. He was staring at her, watching her carefully.

“ _Fuck_ ,” he said quietly. He tilted his head back, thumping it gently against the wall. He took a deep breath before thumping his head against the wall a bit harder. “Fuck!” 

He got down on the floor, sitting on his knees next to Rey. He reached out a hand tentatively to her shoulder and she flinched away. He dropped his hand.

“I’m so sorry, Rey,” He sat back, placing his face in his hands. “I love you so fucking much. It just scares me so much that you could leave me. I’m never here. I’m never here for you and it just breaks me to know how alone you feel.”

Rey ran a tentative hand on the back of her head. Dry. No blood. She’d probably have a good lump but that was it. She looked back at what was left of her phone. It scared her how quickly Ben turned to violence when he was angry. But she couldn’t deny how much she loved him. She knew deep down he was still the Ben that she loved. He was in there somewhere and it was that hope that kept her by his side.

She realized she had been crying and ran her fingers under her eyes, sure that her mascara had run. She stood up carefully and walked on rubbery legs over to Ben. Sensing her there, he uncovered his face and looked up at her, face wet with his own tears. She held out her hand and after a moments hesitation, he took it and she helped him up.

Once he was standing, she wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight, hoping in some way that she could hold all the parts of him together. He rested his chin on the top of her head and stroked her back gently.

They were startled apart by a sudden knock on the apartment door. She went over quietly and looked through the peephole. 

“Just Poe,” she said quietly. “Why don’t you go get the shower started and I’ll be in in a minute.”

Ben just nodded.

“I love you Rey,” he said quietly before disappearing down the hall.

She put on a smile and opened the door and Poe looked relieved when he saw her.

“Hey,” she said. “Sorry I took off without saying anything. Ben had been worried about me and I wasn’t even thinking.”

“Totally fine,” he answered. “I just wanted to make sure you made it home safe.”

“Thanks for checking in,” she answered. She was slightly worried about how she might look to Poe, her mascara probably smeared and eyes red from crying, but he didn’t say anything. “Thanks again for inviting me out. I had a great time.”

“Good! Finn and Rose really like you,” he smiled at her. “We’ll have to do it again some time.”

“Definitely,” Rey answered, knowing that probably wouldn’t be an option. But she could hope. She put on her best smile. “Have a good night, Poe.”

“Good night, Rey.”

She shut the door and leaned against it, letting herself cry for a few seconds for friends she might never actually have. 

After, she wiped her eyes and put on her best smile, before joining Ben in the shower, stepping over the broken pieces of her phone.


End file.
